Yanik Laas
Yanik Laas, also known as the Disemboweler,Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 112 was a member of the Republic of Gorasnaya navy who joined the Coalition of Ordered Governments Navy and also served as a Gear soldier when his country joined the COG in 15 A.E. He developed a friendship with Damon Baird and Donneld Mathieson, and an intimate attraction to Samantha Byrne. Biography Stranded Insurgency Mission on the Amirale Enka Several weeks after joining the Gorasni Coalition of Ordered Governments, Yanik served as the helmsman aboard the patrol boat Amirale Enka, as it went on a mission to escort several fishing boats from the town of Pelruan. Two of the Gears on the mission, Cpl.Damon Baird and Cpl.Dominic Santiago, discussed if it was right to take care of several wounded Stranded Insurgents in order to just torture them. Yanik joined in on the conversation, saying it was a waste to give aid to them, and better to ask them questions while still wounded. Dom was disgusted by this and left the wheelhouse, and Baird told Yanik not to mind Dom, since he was the nice guy in the squad while he was the realist. When CPO Frank Muller came into the wheelhouse and asked Baird to try and fix the radar on the ship, Yanik warned him not to mess with the ship or he would yank his intestines out. Muller told him that Baird could fix anything, and after allowing him to fix the radar, Yanik was impressed with Baird's skills. When Dom returned to the wheelhouse and the topic of the captured Stranded came up again, Sgt.Marcus Fenix was mentioned, and how he always tried to do the right thing. Yanik was contemptful of this, believing that trying to do the right thing during a war would only end up getting you killed. Not long after this, one of the trawlers, the Levanto, exploded near the Amirale Enka. Yanik began piloting the ship toward the explosion, but Muller had him stop out of fear that it had been a mine that destroyed the trawler.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 68-72 After Baird and Pvt.Samantha Byrne inspected the wreckage of the boat and recovered some of it, Yanik began piloting the ship back to Vectes Naval Base. He decided that whatever had sunk the trawler was related to the Nezark, a Gorasni frigate that had gone missing several days before. After arriving back at the port, he and the rest of the crew tied the ship to the dock.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 111-113 Forest Raid Several days later, Yanik took part in Commander Miran Trescu's raid on Stranded camps in the forests of Vectes. After the battle ended, Yanik and several other Gorasni gathered up the bodies of several dead Stranded, loaded them into a truck, and drove them to the integrated Stranded compound in New Jacinto. As they pulled into the camp, Yanik saw Baird leading a patrol of Gears, and nodded at him in greeting. As he helped one of the other Gorasni up into the back of the truck, Yanik told Baird that they were not savages, and that they were going to let the Stranded bury their dead. Yanik and the other two Gorasni then unloaded the bodies onto the ground, and a crowd of Stranded began forming, and several family members of the dead Stranded began crying and shouting at the Gorasni. Baird told Yanik to get out of the area before the Stranded became violent. As the other two Gorasni got into the truck’s cab, Yanik climbed back up into the flatbed. He told Baird that he would one day tell him what happened at Chalitz, so that he would understand why he and the other Gorasni hated the Stranded so much. He then left the camp in the truck.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 147-149 Lambent Pandemic Loss of the Emerald Spar Soon, an even greater threat than the Stranded revealed itself: the Lambent. After the loss of the Emerald Spar Imulsion Platform, Yanik was walking through the streets of New Jacinto when he spotted Sgt.Bernadette Mataki walking with her dog, Mac. He called out to her, talking about how the situation kept getting worse. She told him she was sorry about the people the Gorasni had lost on the Emerald Spar, but he questioned her on what use his people were to the COG now that their Imulsion rig and frigate had sunk, and mentioned that all of the retired soldiers from Pelruan did their best to avoid them. Mac began growling threateningly at him as he got closer to Bernie, but he ignored the dog and focused on Bernie, telling her that now that Trescu was in trouble, things would get bad very quickly. She told him that they were all in the same situation, and that Imulsion or not, it was good to have the Gorasni there to help them. Yanik approved of this, and remarked that he knew she would understand, given her attitude toward the Stranded. He saluted her, and then headed off to the naval base.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 246-247 Battles of New Jacinto and Pelruan When the Lambent attacked New Jacinto from the sea several weeks later, Yanik lead a squad of seven Gorasni in defending the base. When Lt.Donneld Mathieson requested a squad to be sent to Pelruan to assist the Gears fighting there, Yanik volunteered, wanting to help save Sam, who was stationed there.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 334 After arriving at the town aboard KR-239, he jumped off the Raven and bowed to Sam, offering his life for hers, but that he hoped it did not come to that. She was unimpressed that there were only eight of them, but Yanik told her they were far better fighters than the Gears or Stranded. Sam softened and thanked him for coming, and warned him to stay away from the retired Gears, who hated his people for putting their comrades into death camps during the Pendulum Wars. Yanik appreciated the warning, and joined the others in planning the defense of the town. After Major Mel Sorotki and Lt.Kevan Mitchell used KR-239 to provoke the Lambent Leviathan into attacking the town when they were ready, Yanik led his squad in advancing on the Polyps as they poured into the town, and then in falling back to lure them into crossfire from the retired Gears.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 337-339 During a break in the battle, Yanik was contacted by Bernie, asking for an update on his position. He told her he wanted a drink and to pee, and that an old soldier had spat on him after Yanik saved his life, but everything else was fabulous.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 350 After KR-239 killed the Leviathan, Yanik and the other squad leaders contacted Lt.Anya Stroud and informed her that each of their areas were clear of Polyps.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 354 Picking up the Pieces Yanik returned to New Jacinto two days later, and assisted in the cleanup form the battle in the Gorasni area of the city. When Col.Victor Hoffman passed by, Yanik asked him if Bernie had found her dog yet, who he had disappeared during the battle at Pelruan, but Hoffman told him she had not. Yanik then remarked what a great day it was, and how happy he was not that the Stranded were gone, allowing him to save many bullets. He then continued to happily assist in the cleanup and rebuilding process.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 434 Yanik also gave a UIR canteen as a gift to Mathieson, feeling sorry for him being stuck in the CIC due to the loss of his legs.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 438 He quickly became friends with Mathieson, and learned from him about how Anya's mother and Dom's brother had been killed in the Pendulum Wars, which made them somewhat distrustful of the former Indies.Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 70 Yanik also learned that Hoffman had lost his wife during the Hammer of Dawn Counterattack. Yanik passed all of this information on to Trescu, in order to give his commander a better understanding of their allies.Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 84 Patrolling with Baird Yanik later joined Baird on a patrol on the southwest coast of Vectes, looking for Lambent so they could collect samples for Chairman Richard Prescott. Yanik remarked to Baird that Prescott seemed very eager and obsessive to collect samples of the Lambent. Baird told him that he did not know why, and that they could not even analyze the samples that they collected, since they were fresh out of scientists. Yanik wondered if Prescott was going insane, but Baird told him he was just as sane as he was. Yanik remarked that they were completely screwed then, and that he would begin writing his will. They then began feeling tremors, and a couple of small stalks emerged and let out dozens of polyps. Yanik drew his Snub Pistol and opened fire along with Baird, and he remarked that this would be sport in Gorasnya. He then said that if a Goransi brought back the ulosci of a big boar, they would be a big hit with the ladies, and Baird asked him what ulosci were so he could get them from the polyps. As he shot another polyp, Yanik remarked that what he had just shot off it were its ulosci. As Baird reloaded, the last polyp jumped at him, but Yanik shot it before it could reach him. However, its explosion splashed polyp remains all over Baird and knocked him down. Yanik helped him up, and Baird remarked that the remains burned, but Yanik told him he and the other COG's were all girls. Baird was worried that the Lambent were going to overrun the island, and Yanik told him not to forget to get samples for Prescott, and pointed out an unusual looking piece of polyp to him.Gears of War: Dirty Little Secrets Part Three (Need to Know) Dissent Among the Gorasni Several weeks later, Yanik was walking through the Gorasni camp when he heard a gunshot ring out. He and the other Gorasni in the camp headed to investigate, and he saw Trescu walking through the camp when another gunshot went off, hitting several feet in front of Trescu. Yanik realized that it was likely Ianku Nareci firing, as he was very critical of Trescu's decision to join the COG, and was likely missing on accident to make a point. Yanik began running after Trescu, who was continuing to walk calmly forward, and yelled at him to get down in case Nareci was drunk and hit him by accident. When a third shot hit in front of Trescu, Yanik watched as his commander altered course and went to the top of one of the bathroom blocks, where Nareci had set up position. Yanik and the rest of the camp watched as Trescu hit and disarmed Nareci, who insulted Trescu for having joined the COG and dishonored his fathers memory and the Gorasni Republic. Trescu hit him again, and Yanik listened as Trescu addressed the crowd, telling them that he would not tolerate anarchy, and that surviving was more important than keeping old grudges alive. Yanik was then joined by SWO Teodor Marisc, and they followed Trescu as he began walking away from the scene. Yanik told him that Nareci could have killed him, and should be gutted for what he had done. Yanik offered to do it himself, but Trescu was adamant that no more Gorasni die under his watch. The three of them then briefly discussed the fuel situation, and whether or not they trusted Hoffman due to a mysterious signal coming from the island that kept sending out small databursts.Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 146-148 A few days later, Yanik talked with Baird, who asked him if the Gorasni had had a nickname for Gears during the Pendulum Wars. Yanik told him that they called Gears "Cogs", which sounded close to a certain dirty Gorasni word that Yanik told Baird he probably should not learn.Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 155 Planning for the Future A week later, Yanik traveled with Trescu to a the newly discovered Vectes Imulsion Field, where a team of Gorasni led by Stefan Gradin were working to extract and process the Imulsion for the COG. As Trescu got out of the truck to look around the field, Yanik stayed in the vehicle, telling Trescu that mysterious databursts had been going out all morning, and he was going to continue to monitor them. When Trescu returned to the vehicle several minutes later, Yanik took the radio piece out of his ear and told him that whoever it was had stopped transmitting, but would likely begin again soon. As Trescu began driving back to VNB, he said that the messages had to be in response to the situation on Vectes, with more and more Lambent stalks emerging every day. Yanik said that it had to be the COG, and if it was not, Hoffman would be trying to find out if Trescu knew anything about it. Trescu pointed out he would not do that if he thought it was them, which Yanik said would likely make him very unhappy with them. Trescu was then forced to slam on the vehicles brakes when they reached an intersection and they were nearly hit by another truck. Yanik told him to be more careful driving, because he did not want an ironic death after surviving two wars and ending up dying because his boss could not drive. Trescu said that was a good point, and Yanik then asked him if they were going to get any refugees from Pelruan placed in their camp. Trescu told him no one had accepted their offer yet, and Yanik asked what their next move would be. Trescu said they would negotiate with Hoffman and Cpt.Quentin Michaelson about having transport open to use to evacuate their people, and Yanik asked him if he had changed his mind about standing with the COG. Trescu assured him he had not, but wanted a backup plan in place in case things got really bad. Yanik was worried Michaelson might try to stop them from leaving, but Trescu told him that he was sure he would not do that now. When they got close to VNB, they were held up by traffic from Pelruan, which was being evacuated due to nearby Lambent stalks. Yanik remarked that the civilians there had obviously never had to evacuate before, and pointed out several vehicles filled with useless thing the evacuees had taken with them. When they pulled past a Duke of Tollen's Regiment veteran, Yanik told Trescu to be careful, and that he had been spat on more than once. Trescu remarked that that would not kill him, but Yanik said he found it disturbing. Trescu remarked that he was too sensitive, and then left the truck to let Yanik drive it back to their camp while he ended the traffic jam caused by the evacuees.Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 194-198 Second Battle of New Jacinto Several days later, a Lambent Leviathan was spotted heading for New Jacinto in the early morning, and the Hammer of Dawn was used to try and destroy it before it got close, but it failed and went offline due to the aging satellites. Yanik and Teodor took a rigid inflatable boat out onto the water as the Leviathan charged the docks, and dropped depth charges onto the creature, wounding it and causing it to surface near the shore. As the RIB got closer to the shore, Yanik yelled at Marcus to do something to kill the Leviathan, and watched as he tossed a grenade down its throat. The Leviathan began chasing their boat and dived underwater, but the grenade exploded, causing the Leviathan to explode as well. The RIB was blown into the air a few feet, but landed upright. Yanik and Teodor were drenched by water, and they saw that a lot of fish had been stunned or killed by the explosion as well, and began scooping them into the boat. Yanik grinned at the Gears onshore, and began laughing that two Gorasni had done what an entire army of Gears could not, and complimented Marcus on dropping the grenade into the Leviathan like a girl. When he saw Sam join the others on the docks, Yanik told her that this was how Gorasni went fishing, and that the Leviathan had just gotten in the way. Sam said that it looked like he had pissed his pants, but he said that it was just his uncontrollable excitement at seeing her. Sam laughed and called him a wanker, causing him to laugh as well. He and Teodor then watched as Bernie shot a few polyps that had survived the explosion and were floating on parts of the Leviathan, clapping and cheering with the rest of the Gears as they exploded.Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 212-214 Hanging out with Baird Later that day, Yanik met with Baird and Sandru in the Gorasni camp, and watched the two of them work on some prosthetic legs for Mathieson. Baird was worried that they would not work, but Yanik assured him that Sandru knew what he was doing, and that he had made prosthetics for many Gorasni. As Baird and Sandru talked, Yanik looked outside the tent they were in and saw Trescu addressing a group of citizens. Yanik headed out to see what was going on, and Baird followed him. Yanik listened to what Trescu was saying, and realized that the group of citizens wanted a boat to be able to leave Vectes. Baird asked him what was going on, and Yanik translated for him. Baird said that Trescu must love that idea, and Yanik said that they were all ungrateful, and that without Trescu they would be dead, or worse, living like Stranded. Trescu began saying how there were only four thousand Gorasni left, and Yanik heard Baird whisper that they did not have a secret navy then. Yanik looked at him and asked what he was talking about, and Baird said that they must not be the ones sending the weird radio transmissions. Yanik turned all of his attention to Baird and asked if it was the COG, but Baird told him it was not and they thought it had been them. Baird said that that were still a mystery for now, and left Yanik, saying that if his people were having a dispute, the COG citizens were likely "descending into cannibalism".Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 216-219 Personality and Traits Yanik thought that to combat an enemy, one should not be restricted by the rules of warfare.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 71 He held great respect for Bernadette Mataki due to her hostile views toward Stranded.Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 247 He also took a liking to Samantha Byrne, and referred to her as duchashka, or "lovely duchess". He also thought that the Gorasni troops were better trained than Gears or Stranded soldiers, saying "eight Gorasni equals twenty COG equals fifty trained Stranded".Gears of War: Anvil Gate pg 337 Yanik was disturbed by the hatred that the retired members of the Duke of Tollen's Regiment had for him and his fellow Gorasni, even after he had saved several of their lives.Gears of War: Coalition's End pg 198 Yanik considered himself a bad person, but wanted to be good.http://twitter.com/#!/karentraviss/status/134198949362937856 Appearances *''Anvil Gate'' *''Coalition's End'' *''Dirty Little Secrets: Need to Know'' References Category:Characters Category:COG Category:COG Navy Personnel Category:Gear Soldier Category:Gorasni Category:Males Category:Pendulum Wars veterans Category:UIR